Hoffner said he has not signed a contract yet, but acknowledged he verbally accepted the position on Tuesday.

Donning a heather gray sweatshirt and navy sweatpants, Hoffner showed up for the Beavers' strength and conditioning workout at the MSU Dome Thursday morning. At exactly 6 a.m., players knelt at the south end of the Dome as their new head coach addressed his team for the first time.

"You guys don't know how freakin' good it feels," Hoffner opened his speech with.

The Esmond, N.D., native spoke to the team for three minutes. He told players he'll be "their guy" and closed with: "Let's not forget to have some fun, too."